loods. Fires. Protests. Hippies. Two thousand eleven proved an unusually
dramatic year in Vermont and, by extension, Vermont music. So before we
close the books on the year that was, here’s a look back at some of the major
stories from the last 12 months.

SEVEN DAYS

12.28.11-01.11.12

SEVENDAYSVT.COM

After the Flood

62 MUSIC

BY D AN BO L L E S

Irene. There simply was not a bigger
story in Vermont this year than the
widespread devastation caused by the
tropical storm that ravaged the state
on August 28. Even those who escaped
unharmed were a˜ ected. Irene touched
everyone. Not surprisingly, the biggest
music stories of 2011 sprang f rom the
aftermath of the storm.
At the top of the list are jam titans
Phish. Vermont’s most f amous phoursome threw a beneﬁ t to end all beneﬁ ts
at the Champlain Valley Exposition in
September. The jamstravaganza was
the band’s ﬁ rst show in Vermont since
its “f arewell” at Coventry in 2004, and
anticipation was predictably high. Hundreds of eager f ans waited more than
24 hours in line for tickets, camping out
on the street in front of the Flynn Center the day before tickets went on sale,
and turning downtown Burlington into
something like the f abled Phish parking-lot scene for a night. Most would say
it was worth the wait.
At the show, Phish tore through a mix
of classics spanning nearly the entirety of
their considerable catalog, while tens of
thousands of fans wiggled and danced beneath a full moon — and a killer light show.
All totaled, the Phish beneﬁ t grossed
more than $1 million for ﬂ ood relief.
Not to be outdone, Grace Potter and
the Nocturnals lent their considerable
cachet to local ﬂ ood-relief e˜ orts , as
well. The band played a sold-out beneﬁ t
show at the Flynn MainStage in October
that was simulcast on Vermont Public
Television. With that show, a charity
auction and a $1000-per-ticket acoustic
gig at Sugarbush, GPN accounted f or
more than $250,000 in relief donations.
While those two bands garnered
the lion’s share of press about the, well,
ﬂ ood of Irene beneﬁ ts, they were hard-

ly the only locals to rock for the cause.
There were dozens of smaller Irene
bennies in venues all over the state in
the months f ollowing the storm. Additionally, a number of beneﬁ t compilation albums were released as the whole
local scene rose to the challenge.

Eugene Hutz in Burlington City Hall Park

Adler upped the caliber and class of performers and turned the Pearl Street juke
joint into a legitimate weekly entertainment option. Adler has since moved on
to handle booking at Radio Bean and
has found a new home, bringing a similarly progressive booking philosophy to
the already eclectic café.

Indie promotions outﬁ ts MSR Presents
and Angioplasty Media scored a
coup this summer when they booked
Neutral Milk Hotel’s Je˜ Mangum f or
a solo show at Burlington’s Unitarian
Universalist Church. The sold-out
show was the ﬁ rst stop on the reclusive
songwriter’s much ballyhooed return
Closing Time
tour. It was so successful that MSR and
two thousand eleven saw the passing of What’s So Funny?
AM plan to utilize the church as a venue
two beloved live-music institutions in
For the last few years, standup comedy
for similarly big acts on a regular basis.
Vermont: Langdon Street Café in Mont- in Vermont has been on the rise. And
Next up: Sonic Youth’s Thurston Moore
pelier and Parima in Burlington.
now, the burgeoning local comedy scene on Sunday, January 29.
has a home of its very own. In October,
Montpelier’s quirky music hotspot
was the ﬁ rst to go. Citing ﬁ nancial dif - Burlington welcomed Vermont’s ﬁ rst
The Occupy Burlington encampment
ﬁ culty, LSC owner Meg Hammond
comedy club, Levity.
was treated to a surprise perf ormance
Prior to Levity opening, ground
and her partner/booking maven Ben
f rom a notable Burlington expat when
T. Matchstick made the heart-wrenchzero f or local comedy was the open
Gogol Bordello’s Eugene Hutz showed
mic at Patra Caf é. From established
ing decision to close the caf é’s doors
up for an impromptu performance atop
at the end of May. During its six and a
comedians honing their chops to
the fountain in City Hall Park in October.
half years, LSC became the lifeblood of
newbies working through stage jitHutz wasn’t the only star to lend his
Montpelier’s music and arts scene. Per- ters, the Vietnamese coffeehouse was voice in solidarity with the Queen City
haps no other venue in the state — inthe place to be f or cutting-edge locamp. A f ew weeks earlier, Sarah Lee
cluding Burlington’s Radio Bean, upon
cal comedy. But when whispers surGuthrie and her husband, Johnny Irion,
which LSC was loosely modeled — was
f aced this summer that Patra was on
led protesters in a sing-along march up
as vital a cog in its community. “Montthe market, calling into question the
Church Street.
peculiar” has become a little less so.
open mic’s longevity, comedian Ryan
In the wake of LSC’s closing, the cap- Kriger jumped into action and purGrace Potter had a big year. First, the
ital city seems to be trying to rediscover chased the café.
inaugural Grand Point North Festival
Levity now hosts weekly open mics
its musical identity. A few venues have
on the Burlington Waterf ront was an
stepped up to sof ten the blow, includon Thursdays, and a pair of regular
unbridled success. For two full days this
ing the reopened Black Door and Bagishowcases on Fridays. Moving forward, August, thousands rocked to big-name
tos Café, both of which host live music
Kriger plans to begin a Saturday-night
acts such as Taj Mahal and Fitz and
throughout the week. And, of course,
showcase and host improv-comedy
the Tantrums, as well as an impressive
there’s always Charlie O’s and Positive
nights. He also hopes to bring in region- roster of local bands. Potter was even
Pie 2. But the void remains.
al and national touring comedians.
joined onstage by country superstar
In Burlington, Parima closed, rather
Kenny Chesney for a rendition of their
abruptly and amid great conf usion, in
Odds and Ends
duet, “You & Tequila.” By the way,
September. While the impact of losing
Irene wasn’t the only local tragedy worthy that tune was nominated f or a pair of
the Thai restaurant/live-music venue in of big-name beneﬁ t love. In January, the
Grammies. Big year.
Burlington was not nearly so prof ound
storage and processing facilities at Pete’s
Potter wasn’t the only Vermonter
as LSC’s closing, it was still signiﬁ cant. Greens farm in Craftsbury were destroyed garnering Grammy attention. Local
In the year and a half that local songin a ﬁ re. So in February, a cast of local su- composer Al Conti is up f or Best New
writer Joe Adler had handled booking
perstars, led by Phish’s Trey Anastasio,
Age Album f or his 2011 record, Northfor the club, Parima went from scene af- rocked the Higher Ground Ballroom and
ern Seas.
terthought to an increasingly vital asset. raised some serious cabbage.